Kwagagagak—!!

A massive figure burst into Mount Marryeong—a monstrous creature, its black skin coiled in demonic energy, towering with an immense frame.

It called itself Mang—a white-grade beast, once a dragon that had hidden beneath the Northern Sea.

It was also the first white-grade beast I ever hunted after awakening my greed.

Now, that very creature, turned into a monster by my summons, lunged at the Leader.

Other monsters were large, but none could compare to Mang’s sheer size.

One swing of its arm could erase an entire hill—no wonder nothing came close.

Kruaaaaargh—!!!

The mountain trembled at its roar. Mang bellowed, swinging its heavy arm down toward the Leader.

“Hoo-up—!”

Kuuuuung—!

The Leader grunted, blocking the blow with his arm.

Kwaduduk—!!!

The ground beneath his feet split open from the weight. By sheer size alone, it seemed inevitable the Leader would lose.

"Pathetic beast—!"

Yet, the Leader, unfazed, grabbed Mang’s arm—

Kwack—!

—and hoisted its massive body into the air.

The sight was absurd—lifting that monstrous bulk as if it weighed nothing.

"Hoooh—!"

With a sharp breath, the Leader slammed Mang down into the earth.

Kwaaaaaang—!!!

The ground convulsed from the impact. The quake shattered ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the formations of battling beasts and monsters alike.

‘As expected.’

Even seeing that, I remained calm. I never thought Mang could defeat the Leader.

I only wanted to see how useful it would be.

‘Clear enough.’

The winged beast from before—Mang as well—

‘Both are far weaker than in their original forms.’

The difference was stark. Mang had never been fast, but now its movements were sluggish, its strength dimmed.

Which meant—

‘It can’t unleash its full power.’

If even white-grade beasts—once foes requiring transcendent strength—were this weakened—

‘Then there’s no reason to summon them needlessly.’

The thought crossed my mind.

Krrrrrr......!

Mang rose again and charged the Leader once more. Just as the Leader moved to counter—

Kwaduk—!

“......!!”

Something sank its fangs into the Leader’s neck.

The winged beast—the one that had been flung aside earlier—

It had already healed and returned for another strike.

Mang’s fist followed instantly—

Kwaduk—!

The colossal punch crashed into the Leader. He barely raised his axe to block, but the impact hurled him into the air.

Mang, maw wide open, surged upward—

Kwaduk—!!

—and swallowed him whole, the winged beast still latched on.

Gulp.

Mang’s throat bulged visibly.

‘Huh?’

Swallowed? Just like that?

I narrowed my eyes, puzzled.

Krrrrr......

Mang let out a low growl—

Then—

Uuuuuuuung---!!!

A tremor rippled from within its belly.

Of course.

It wouldn’t end that easily.

The Leader—devoured so easily? Not a chance.

Uuuuuung---!!!!

The vibration surged—along with a blast of heat.

And then—

Wung—!

A crimson glow burst from within—

Kwaaaaaang—!!!

Mang’s body exploded from the inside, flesh and bone scattering before dissolving into energy and vanishing on the wind.

Some of that dissipated power flowed back into me.

I felt it—

The beast was destroyed, utterly.

Mang’s defeat was clear.

I turned to the Leader.

"Kirrurrr......."

He stood there, gasping for breath, his hand clutching the winged beast’s broken neck—

"Khhhhh...... Haaaaa......."

His breaths came ragged, exhaustion clear. Heat still flickered from his scorched shoulder.

I understood immediately—

‘A self-detonation.’

The Leader had condensed his internal energy, using his body as a vessel for an explosive blast.

That was why Mang was obliterated from within.

But the backlash was severe—

Even the Leader, with his monstrous regeneration, showed signs of strain.

"Huff...... Hoooo."

I watched his labored breaths—

Then, I snapped my fingers—

Tak—!

The winged beast in his grasp crumbled to dust, its energy dispersing.

A surge filled my heart as I reclaimed the remaining power.

This was enough.

The Leader’s struggle showed me everything I needed—how effective the summons were, how best to use them.

So—

"This ends here."

There was nothing more to learn.

I leapt—

Thung.

Landing right before the Leader.

His eyes sharpened—he raised his axe to strike—

But—

"Stop."

“......!!”

His body froze.

I had issued the command a breath before his swing—no room for recoil.

With his body locked—

I opened my palm.

Giiiiiiiing.

Inside me, the ring began to spin— 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Black Heaven unfolded, veiling the sky in shadow.

Azure Sky ignited within me, tightening every muscle, sharpening every fiber—

Giiiiiiiiiing---!!!!

Friction—

Chaos roared, forcing my energy to surge. Blood vessels strained, agony rippling through me—

The raw power, forged from pain, condensed into my palm—

A perfect black sphere—

Within it, a blazing sapphire flame churned.

A sphere, radiant and pulsing as if ready to burst, formed a faint ring around itself, like a cloud circling its core.

“Kgh—!”

Sensing the imminent danger, the Leader struggled to move. My hold on him wasn’t absolute—his jaws, after all, were too powerful to bind for long.

Tuk—!

A sudden snap, and the restraint shattered.

The Leader lunged at me—

"Explode."

But I was already prepared.

“Cheonma Soul Core.”

Wung—!

Kiaaaaaaaaah—!!!

The energy screamed as it detonated. The blast ripped through everything, a towering pillar of destruction tearing skyward.

A massive mushroom cloud swallowed Mount Marryeong, obscuring the entire area.

**********

Tuduk.

Tududuk.

Amid the roiling smoke, debris rained down.

The wind picked up, sweeping aside the thick haze.

There—

A vast, gaping crater marred the earth, carved into the stone ground.

The ground sizzled and hissed—rock liquefying under the lingering heat, flowing like molten lava.

The magma, murky and tinged with a sickly blue hue, streamed through the crater’s channels.

At the heart of that grotesque landscape—

I stood.

I stepped forward, my boots sinking into the molten sludge.

Chiiiiik.

The searing hiss reached my ears. I let out a hollow chuckle.

‘Even wrapped in protective energy, this is what happens.’

The molten ground wasn’t burning through my shoes—

It was melting the protective Qi surrounding them.

Considering that the Qi was my own—

‘The bastard doesn’t even recognize its master.’

Perhaps because I had named it with Chaos, it had gone mad—failing to distinguish friend from foe.

A truly absurd power.

‘A single slip in control could kill me just as easily.’

The destructive force was overwhelming—but the slightest misstep, and I’d be consumed by it.

Tch.

I clicked my tongue and strode forward.

The ground ahead boiled with thick, molten sludge—

The very point where Cheonma Soul Core had detonated.

There—

“Stubborn bastard. Still breathing, are you?”

“Kuhuhu......”

The Leader, on his knees.

Half of his right torso was obliterated—bone exposed where flesh had been.

I felt a flicker of admiration.

For his entire upper body not to have been annihilated—

‘So he managed to evade, even partially.’

Even in that fleeting instant, he had focused entirely on defense and evasion.

As I watched, he spoke—

“You...”

His scorched body hissed and bubbled, but his voice—weak—carried only confusion.

“What... did you do...?”

His voice trembled with disbelief.

And no wonder.

“Why...”

I smiled coldly—

“Why aren’t you regenerating?”

His body—

Wasn’t healing.

That so-called immortality—useless.

Instead, his flesh continued to melt—

Endless agony, yet confusion outweighed his pain.

Well then—

It was only polite to answer his question.

“Simple.”

I stepped closer, towering over his kneeling form.

Even on his knees, his massive frame loomed large.

“Because I never gave you permission to survive.”

“......What?”

“Without my will—

—Nothing happens.

That is how it should be.”

I grinned.

His expression twisted into something grotesque—an expression I hadn’t known a face like his could make.

I found it oddly fascinating—

And moved my energy.

Why couldn’t he regenerate?

The answer was simple—

Because of Greed.

The Cheonma Soul Core I had unleashed—

I had woven my authority into it—Greed’s dominion.

‘So, it can be used this way too.’

It wasn’t just a power.

It could be embedded into my martial techniques.

A test—an experiment—

But one that yielded a valuable result.

The effort strained me, of course. Keeping it active after the release gnawed at my stamina—

But the fact that it worked at all—

That was more than enough.

"Krrrrr......"

The Leader’s body, deprived of its immortality, continued to burn—

Then—

Tuk—!

A soft thump behind me.

I turned—

It was the Cheonma.

I met her eyes—

“Is it done?”

“Yeah.”

Her body—untouched.

No wounds, no blood.

Her clothes—ripped in places, dusted with debris—

But nothing more.

‘Was the enemy that weak?’

Or—

‘Is she just that strong?’

I kept my curiosity hidden and asked—

“And the other one?”

“Ah.”

She answered with a shrug—

“Got away.”

“......”

“Fast bastard.”

She said it—

Without a shred of shame.